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Scottsdale, AZ -- (ReleaseWire) -- 05/09/2014 -- The recent JetBlue Airways Pilots groups' ALPA election vote, and the Flight attendants working with the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU) for a push to unionize, has encouraged the efforts of the JetBlue ground workers to organize and seek unionization options.

The safety sensitive performing ramp workers are working with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), to sign authorization cards that would qualify for a representation election so that IAM could collectively bargain on behalf of the employees. Under national labor rules, employees can authorize a vote if 50 percent of the group plus one person sign the authorization cards. A leader of the union effort in FLL issued the following statement:

"We all have the same needs, the pilots, flight attendants and the ground workers. We all want the chance to do our jobs well, and that requires reasonable schedules, manageable workloads, fair compensation, job security, respect and recognition of skills.

JetBlue Inc. has completely failed to act on these issues, and the employees have lost a considerable amount of control over our work. Most of the decisions concerning wages, benefits, and working conditions are made by the management, whose choices are driven by budgets rather than quality.

"The safety sensitive performing ramp employees are exploring our options to be represented by a union. Our work has been an important part in building the company's success and as JetBlue continues to expand, we as the employees feel without a union, we will be lost. We are hard workers and we are vested in the company’s success as company employees. We stand by JetBlue’s five company values - Safety, Caring, Integrity, Fun and Passion, which the company was founded and built on now it’s time for them to do the same.